For the second consecutive year, Preservation Oklahoma has placed Route 66 sites on its 2010 list of the most-endangered historic sites. From the group's Web site: Across the state, and even the country, buildings, bridges and other structures, and even paving materials are linked to the well-known history of Route 66. These resources share in … Continue reading Route 66 sites again make Preservation Oklahoma’s endangered list
Category: Preservation
Renovation reveals a ghost
Renovations on an old building in downtown Pontiac, Ill., for the soon-to-open International Walldog Mural and Sign Art Museum revealed a long-forgotten wall sign, or "ghost sign," as they're frequently called. A news release from Pontiac Tourism tells the story: According to Milt Hanson, the city’s Building Maintenance Supervisor, as his crew were preparing to … Continue reading Renovation reveals a ghost
Notes from the road
A final meeting for public comment will be Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Clinton Middle School in west Tulsa about the Route 66 Master Plan: Red Fork Streetscape Improvements, according to Greater Tulsa Reporter Newspapers. The project area includes Southwest Boulevard between 25th West Avenue and 27th West Avenue. [...] Citizens are welcome to comment … Continue reading Notes from the road
Oklahoma City tower named to National Register
The Citizens Bank Tower, on an old alignment of Route 66 in Oklahoma City and very close to another, was named to the National Register of Historic Places, according to an e-mail from the National Park Service. The tower, now known as The Classen luxury apartments building, is at 2200 N. Classen Blvd., an early … Continue reading Oklahoma City tower named to National Register
Route 66 viaduct in Galena soon will be rehabbed
Cherokee County, Kan., soon will apply for federal money to stabilize the Front Street Bridge in Galena, which carries old Route 66 over the railroad tracks north of town, according to the Joplin Globe. The National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program awarded the grant in 2008. It includes $30,000 from the National Park … Continue reading Route 66 viaduct in Galena soon will be rehabbed
Notes from the road
The "East Meets West" sculpture at the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza at Riverside Drive and Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66) in Tulsa is inching closer to being installed. Dennis Whitaker at the city of Tulsa gave me this update, via e-mail: [T]he artist is finished with the car group and the foundry has already cast … Continue reading Notes from the road
Revival of hotel building in Tulsa begins
The restoration of the historic Max Campbell Building in the 2600 block of East 11th Street, aka Route 66, in Tulsa is starting now. The purchase of the building and the intentions to convert it into a hotel and retail center was announced in late 2008. But I feared that the project went by the … Continue reading Revival of hotel building in Tulsa begins
Bono’s Orange may reopen
In a lengthy story about Southern California's fast-disappearing orange stands, the Los Angeles Times reports that the long-closed Bono's Historic Orange on Route 66 in Fontana, Calif., may be reopened to sell orange juice again. Joe Bono, who is in his 70s, can remember citrus groves stretching as far as he could see during his … Continue reading Bono’s Orange may reopen
The power of dedicated volunteers
This story in the Tulsa World does a good job in explaining how a bunch of volunteers helped return the historic Coleman Theatre in Miami, Okla., to its original grandeur. Barbara Smith, the executive director, once told me that the theater was very close to meeting the wrecking during the 1980s. The theater was eventually … Continue reading The power of dedicated volunteers
Skating rink on Route 66 will be converted into a church
The closed Starlite Skate Rink on Route 66 north of Sapulpa, Okla., will be converted into the new home of Sapulpa Life Church effective Sunday, reported the Sapulpa Daily Herald. The church is tailored more to young people, so it's possible the Skate Rink could be used at times for the purpose for which it … Continue reading Skating rink on Route 66 will be converted into a church